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Published: October 18th 2009
Gates of Dawn in Vilnius
Locals cross themselves or pray before going through the gates.Hi Everybody!
I am going to get Walt to write a summary of his visit to Chernobyl later. This is a very old computer. I am having to hit most keys more than once. I apologize in advance for errors. I do not always have time to proofread my entries. I know the when to use "there and their." I cannot tell you why I sometimes type the wrong letters. I have had to go back repeatedly on this blog and reinsert apostrophes and ts. They keep disappearing.
Our train trip from Warsaw to Vilnius was uneventful. The scenery was pretty for much of the way with the snow covered fields. Most of the land was flat and farmland until we reached Lithuania. Then, we approached rolling hills like we have in Alabama. Traveling by train in this part of the country can be confusing. In Ukraine, there was a conductor that checked your ticket as you boarded. Leaving Warsaw, the sign showed the destination as a small town in Poland. Luckily, I had had the agent print out an itinerary of our trip. We spotted this town and realized that we probably would have to change to a Lithuanian
train at that station. That was exactly what happened. We did not see the conductor until we had been on the train for some time. Three times, he came around yapping, and we had no idea what he was saying. A nice young Irish couple came to our rescue. We had to move to 3 different cars for different reasons. Once, they dropped off our car. They were constantly trying to get you to hurry. They would make us jump off of the train with our belongings, walk down, and get back on another car. Somehow, we made it. The young Irish couple are headed for Russia, China, and Tibet where they will take the TransSiberian Railway. We are hoping to follow their trip on the internet. We have always wanted to take this train and might decide to make it one of our next destinations. Talking to this young couple helped the time to pass more quickly.
Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia are all members of the European Union but they do not want to take Euros. Each country has its own currency and that is what they want. Food has been very reasonable in all of Eastern Europe.
Transportation costs have been fair. Hotels and goods seem expensive to me. I have not seen very many bargains. We have enjoyed eating in restaurants where the locals go. In Warsaw and Vilnius, we went back to same restaurant for numerous meals. The most unusual dish in Lithuania was their National Dish. It looked like 2 huge boiled Idaho potatoes, but it really was thick dumpling in that shape. Inside was some type of ground meat. It was cooked in a broth and topped with sour cream. In Poland and Lithuania, all of our bread has been served cold (unless you use the toaster at breakfast.) Much of the bread the Northern part of Eastern Europe has been rye bread. They do not serve butter except at breakfast. The servers are well trained and do a good job. The wait staff in hotels and restaurants work hard for their tips. Shop workers just ignore you. We have seen tourists from other countries but almost no Americans. I did meet an author from Atlanta at our hotel in Warsaw. He was in Poland doing research for an upcoming book.
Last night, we saw a wedding party at a Lovers Lock Bridge.
The groom was attaching an engraved lock with the bride and grooms names. The group consisted of about 20 people. They were all drinking champagne Walt saw another couple coming out of a church after their wedding. The guests were throwing coins at them.
It is very cold here! I am sure that we will survive, but I envy people their heavy coats and boots. We could have brought winter clothes, but it would have meant bigger suitcases.
In Vilnius, we visited the Museum of Genocide Victims. It was located in the former KGB Headquarters. All public officials who think we should be friends with Russia should visit this museum. The people in Lithuania were under either German or Soviet rule from 1939 until the late 1980s. They were spied on by the KGB and informants for years and years. Political leaders, army officers, large landowners, etc. were sent to prisons or concentration camps. Anybody who told a joke, commented on Soviet rule, etc. could be summoned to the KGB Headquarters for questioning. The KGB jammed the radio and tv signals so the citizens could not get any news. Hotel rooms and phones were bugged. Files were kept on foreigners
who corresponded with Lithuanians. The KGB opened mail and censored it. These people went through Hell. We saw the prison and interrogation rooms where the Red Army tortured and killed many.
Every country that we have visited has had a difficult past. I have chosen to not visit all of their prisons, holocaust museums, etc. It is very depressing. When we finish this 3rd trip to Eastern Europe, we will have seen over 20 countries. I hope that all of them can remain independent, and that the people can experience freedom forever.
Take care
Everette
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Nancy Greer
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Thanks for taking the time to inform us, I am really enjoying the pictures and information you send. Be careful and have a great time!